People With Pre-existing Conditions Tweet #the27percent to Highlight Insurance Challenges

On Wednesday, Atul Gawande, M.D., a respected surgeon, author and the executive director of Ariadne Labs, shared a tweet highlighting the loss of coverage 52 million young Americans would face should the pre-existing conditions mandate of the Affordable Care Act be repealed.

The statistic — 27 percent of Americans under the age of 65 living with a chronic health condition — comes from a new Kaiser Family Foundation research analysis, highlighting the number of Americans who would be uninsurable if they lost healthcare coverage and had to reapply. Gawande’s tweet, highlighting the health challenges of his 21-year-old son, sparked a conversation among the disability and chronic illness communities on Twitter. #The27Percent shows those Americans, who, without insurance coverage, could lose control of manageable but life-threatening illnesses, potentially going bankrupt in the process.